Morro Bay needs leaders who will move forward. Here are our picks for mayor and council

Morro Bay’s $130 million wastewater treatment plant is finally fully approved and underway — yet it’s become a central issue in the current campaign for mayor and City Council.

There have been renewed calls by some candidates to “pause” the project and consider alternatives, including keeping it at the current location — a site the Coastal Commission previously vetoed because it’s in a flood plain and tsunami zone.

Enough. After 10 years, it’s time to move on.

As a result, we recommend electing candidates who are committed to moving the project along: incumbent Mayor John Headding and City Councilman Robert “Red” Davis and Laurel Barton, whose past political experience includes serving on the Visalia City Council and Visalia school board.

Delays could wind up adding to the cost, and if substantial changes are made — such as switching the location — that could jeopardize a $62 million, low-interest federal loan that will save ratepayers and estimated $29 million over the life of the plant. It also could expose the city to lawsuits from contractors.

We respect the dedication of the three challengers: mayoral candidate John Weiss — who is running again after a narrow loss in the 2018 mayoral election — and council candidates Betty Winholtz and Richard Sadowski.

However, we don’t believe they provide the forward vision that Morro Bay needs right now.

In addition to opposing the wastewater treatment plant, all three are against the 1-cent sales tax increase on the November ballot.

Weiss and Winholtz pointed it out that it doesn’t include a sunset clause and isn’t earmarked for public safety; Sadowski called it a “knee-jerk reaction from the city.”

If the tax doesn’t pass in November, Weiss said he’d support a half-cent measure with a sunset clause.

But how long would that take?

The need is here now. Sales and bed taxes are Morro Bay’s life blood, and both have taken — and will continue to take — a huge hit until the COVID-19 pandemic is finally over.

The city already has reduced staff and dipped into reserves. When those are gone, the only choice will be to reduce funding for police and fire services, which means the city may not be able to provide 24/7 coverage.

The other three candidates are strong supporters of the tax measure.

“To me this is the most important decision that city voters have faced since incorporation,” Davis said at a recent candidates forum.

We agree. Failing to recognize this as a truly dire fiscal emergency — the likes of which we’ve never seen in our lifetimes — is shortsighted.

Leadership sometimes requires asking people to make sacrifices — even if it means risking their support.

COVID-19 crisis

As a beach community, Morro Bay has been particularly challenged during the coronavirus pandemic. Early on, it became host to many out-of-area residents who came to Morro Bay to shelter in place. As businesses began to reopen, tourists came for the day to enjoy the restaurants, shops and wine-tasting venues.

There have been complaints that the city has been lax in enforcing social distancing and mask requirements, but so far, the beach community has escaped becoming a “hot spot.” As of Wednesday, it had 62 positive cases since the start of the pandemic — the lowest per capita case count among the seven incorporated cities.

On another topical issue, Black Lives Matter protests, Morro Bay has been a leader in the county. It’s one of just two local cities — the other is San Luis Obispo — to declare systemic racism a public health crisis.

Bottom line: Morro Bay has the potential to be a welcoming, vibrant, financially stable city, but that’s going to require some investment in the future.

It is vital the city has realistic, forward-looking leaders willing to make uncomfortable decisions, and we believe Mayor John Headding, Councilman Robert “Red” Davis and Laurel Barton are the best ones to provide that.

This story was originally published October 9, 2020 at 5:30 AM.